The Journey 1  Hate
by VirKatJol
Summary: Kahlan's not happy


Title: The Journey: A Series of Fic

Author: virkatjol

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Written for kissbingo Can stand alone or be read with the series.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I only own the RAGE. I mean wut?

**Part 1: Hate**

The table shook with the force of his fist. The floor reverberated from the pounding, sending a shockwave all the way to where her bare feet were touching it. She'd rarely seen him this angry. Not at her. To be fair, the rage wasn't really directed at her but at the situation.

A situation that was unavoidable, one that left them at a stalemate with each other, a spot that they rarely found themselves in. Her face showed her surprise before she could pull her Confessor mask across her features. She knew he saw it.

"You can't go. That's the final word on it."

Richard's voice was eerily calm. The deep, richness that she usually found so alluring was cold and stiff. He was serious. She knew that challenging him on his decision wouldn't bring her any favor, but he couldn't just lay down the law like that. She needed him. He needed to leave. She was going with.

"I will not stay here without you." She kept the tone of her voice low and steady. Screaming at each other never accomplished anything. "I'm going to the coronation."

"Kahlan." Richard shook his head and stood up quickly, his chair sliding out from behind him and cracking against the wall. "You are being stupid. You aren't a stupid woman."

"I'm not!" Her voice rose defensively.

"What do you call it then?" He approached her. His eyes blazed with anger. "You are seven months pregnant. You want to travel across the Midlands with me. That is not something intelligent."

"You can't dictate to me!" She knew he was right. That made her anger rise faster. Her emotions had run a roller coaster for the past few months of pregnancy. If he left now, he wouldn't be here for the birth. She couldn't imagine having their first child without him by her side. "I'm the Mother Confessor."

"And I'm your husband. The law says I can dictate to you." He knew that stroked her ire. He thought that he could see the flames dance across her eyes. Mentioning anything to do with a husband's ownership of their wife made her angry.

"What did you say?"

The ice that coated her voice made him shiver. Then he remembered what she wanted to do and the fire of rage burned away the chill.

"I said, wife." The words were cold and calculated. They were meant to wound. He said the word 'wife' as if it was akin to something not worth his time. "I own you. You will be staying here."

"How dare you." She took a step forward her hands clutching her large belly. She could feel them shaking with her wrath she felt towards him. She'd never felt as hateful as she did right at that second. Every muscle felt tight as she encroached on his space. "Who do you think you are? Speaking to me like that."

"I'm the Lord Rahl and your husband. The law says I can do with you as I please."

The cutting of her palm against his cheek surprised him before it sent his anger to a fever pitch.

"I hate you for saying that."

That's when he pulled her neck and brought their lips together. She'd feel how mad he was, but he didn't need to hit her. Instead he crushed their mouths together. His teeth clanged against hers and he bit her bottom lip as he moved against her. Her belly pushed against his stomach and the thought of her putting their child in danger made him kiss her more forcefully.

They were both breathing heavily as she pulled away. Richard was the first to speak, panting from the raw emotion in the kiss.

"I hate that you want to risk iher/i life."

"I don't want you traveling alone." She could feel the hot air of his breath on her lips. The taste of her blood was on her tongue from where he'd bitten through the flesh. "Can't you see that I cannot lose you? Why can't you understand that?"

"I can't understand how you could want to do something so ridiculously irrational!" He tightened his grip on her neck, almost hoping that if he left a bruise she'd feel enough to know how much it meant to him that she not accompany him on this journey.

The pain in her neck made her rage again. She moved her hands to his cheeks holding them tightly with her palms. She could see the white line from the pressure surrounding her hands. She was scared. Scared of what would happen when the baby came. Scared of doing it alone. Instead of admitting it to him she just got angrier. She pulled him back down to kiss him again. The feeling of hate tainted something that was usually sweet and loving.

She bit him back. Her teeth grazing his lip as his head pulled away, a slapping sound echoing in the room as his top lip escaped her teeth and hit his gums. He heard her growl and lunge towards him, wanting to use her kisses as punishment. He held her back and used the large mound of their baby to help ward against her anger. His palm was getting slippery from sweat; the heat of her neck making it slick. He took a chance and gripped her upper arms and held her off him.

"Stop!" His voice boomed. "Tell me why you think following me across the world while you're practically bursting with child is the best course of action." She stilled in his arms and looked up into his eyes. He watched the color drain from her face. The weight of her thoughts finally pulled her away from anger. The pallor of her cheeks scared him. He knew that expression; it was one he rarely saw freed. It was naked fear.

"I…" She felt the dampness on her cheek. She hated that she was crying. He'd never let her go now. Not when she was an emotional mess.

His arms encircled her. His hand was in her hair pulling her cheek to his shoulder, fingers entangling in the silky strands and combing through the locks.

"Don't cry, baby. I can't take the tears. Yell, scream, rage at me, but tears… I can't stand it when you cry."

"I'm scared." She hiccupped the words. Her tears were now full blown sobs. Her arms wrapped around his waist and pulled herself as close as she could; her stomach prevented the closeness she was used to.

"What are you so afraid of that you would rather take a huge risk coming with me then staying here in the safety of the palace?" He kissed her head trying to soothe her now instead of provoke her. He knew he'd been pricking at her trying to get a reaction. But he never meant for it to escalate how it had. He just found her incredibly sexy when she was angry.

"I can't do it…" She rubbed her nose back and forth against his chest trying to bury her shame in his shirt.

"You can do anything, Kahlan." He was baffled at what she would need him for. She did so much alone before he was part of her life, which he couldn't comprehend what might be making her cling so tightly to him, to have so great of a need that she was willing to risk their daughter.

"I can't have this baby without you. I can't… I'm so afraid, Richard." She choked out another sob before breaking down completely and weeping against him. "If something goes wrong… I'm not brave enough. I need you, so much."

"Okay." He lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the bed. Even though she was a bit heavier from the child she carried, it was a weight he happily bore. "You can come with."

"Thank you." The stiffness in her body seemed to melt away, just knowing that she was going to be with him when her time came. He laid her on their bed and she pulled him down with her needing him to hold her. "I'm sorry, I don't hate you, Richard."

"I am too. I don't hate you either. I never, ever could." He tenderly kissed her lips and whispered against them. "Words spoken in anger are rarely truthful. I think that's one of Zedd's rules."

Both of them chuckled and he snuggled in beside her. His hand rested upon her belly.

"Do you think we'll get to D'Hara before she gets here?"

Richard felt all the sides of the bump that was their daughter, analyzing what he felt, comparing the data in his head to the time he knew it would take them. "I don't know, Kahlan. It will be close. We should leave very soon."

"Tomorrow." She pulled his hand to her lips. "I want you to deliver her. Like you delivered my sister's baby."

"If I can. I will, but I don't know if I'll have the will power to stay at your feet when all I'll want to do is hold your hand and kiss your brow, trying to beg forgiveness for putting you in the position."

"We leave for D'Hara tomorrow. Your coronation as Lord Rahl is still six weeks away. It will allow us to travel slower for the baby…" She growled at her weakness. "I'm going to slow us down. I can't ride. I'll have to be in a carriage. I hate being so weak."

"You aren't weak. It's not a sign of weakness to admit your need for me. It's a sign of the strength of our love for each other."

"I have another secret."

He just raised his eyebrows at her begging her to continue.

"The roughness from earlier, the anger and the rage. It kind of… it turned me on."

"Me too. The flames were bursting from every pore of your body and all I wanted to do was strip you naked and take you."

She moaned at the thought and leaned up to kiss him roughly. She tried to bring back all the emotion from before but it wouldn't come. Instead the kiss was just a little messier than normal.

"Next time, do that."

The End


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